Belle Plaine man pleads guilty in federal court to receiving child porn

A 56-year-old Belle Plaine man pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography Monday in U.S. District Court.

James Byers pleaded guilty to one count of  receiving child pornography. He admitted to receiving at least 100 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct over the Internet between May 2007 and October 2008. He possessed about four to six videos of child pornography and used a photo sharing program to trade some of the depictions with other individuals over the Internet, according to court documents.

Two additional charges, for possession and distribution of child pornography, will be dismissed at sentencing as part of the plea agreement.

A competency evaluation was conducted on Byers at the request of his attorney, and he was found competent to stand trial and assist his attorney, U.S. Magistrate Jon Scoles confirmed during the hearing.

Byers faces five to 20 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Sentencing hasn't yet been set.